Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 10:03:12 EDT
From: "tink in the crosshairs...again"
Subject: SUB: FAQ: Draft Harassment Policy for WRITERS
Let me repeat--this is a DRAFT.
One area which I am still thinking hard about is namecalling, insults,
and so forth. I tend to think that namecalling is not in the same
"level" as threats to work, life, health, family, etc. However, at
some point it clearly shades over into harassment, and I'm not sure
how to point to that.
In any case...let me know what you think.
tink
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WRITER's Policy on Harassment
1. Harassment is not acceptable behavior on this list and may lead to
sanctions.
Harassment of any kind is not acceptable behavior on this list; it is
inconsistent with the commitment to excellence that characterizes
WRITER's activities. WRITERS is committed to creating an environment
in which every individual can work, study, and write without being
harassed. Harassment may therefore lead to sanctions up to and
including termination of membership.
2. Harassment is any conduct that has the intent or effect of
unreasonably interfering with participation on WRITERS or creates an
intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.
Harassment is any conduct, verbal or non-verbal, via public postings
or private email, that has the intent or effect of unreasonably
interfering with an individual or group's participation on WRITERS or
that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive environment. Some
kinds of harassment are prohibited by civil laws.
Harassment on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion,
national origin, sexual orientation, or age includes harassment of an
individual in terms of stereotyped group characteristic, or because of
that person's identification with a particular group.
Examples of harassment include: overt threats, serious intimidation,
stalking behavior, repeated personal attacks, serious threats of
reprisal, and attempts at coercion or blackmail; deliberate, repeated
humiliation, including deliberate humilation on the basis of sexual
orientation, religion, nationality, age, disability, gender or race;
deliberate desecration of religious articles or places, repeated
unwanted proselytizing, and repeated interference with the reasonable
pursuit of religious life; and repeated insults about loss of personal
and professional competence addressed to an older person.
3. Everyday actions, social exchanges, occasional mistakes, and
reasonable submissions of writings are not harassment.
Everyday administrative actions, social situations, legitimate
harassment complaints, and normal social interaction should not be
considered harassment. Occasional mistakes and "faux pas" are not
harassment. Even name-calling and insults often are not harassment.
It is also important to remember that on this list, legitimate SUB
postings (fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc.) may contain material
which might be considered prejudiced, biased, or otherwise
unacceptable in other postings or discussion. Such material should be
evidently part of a writing effort, not simply harassment hidden under
the banner of a submission.
In determining whether or not something is harassment, we should look
at the overall pattern. Was this a one-time incident? If not, was
the person asked to change? Were they willing to change? Did they?
Or did they continue or intensify their harassment?
4. Freedom of expression and freedom from unreasonable and disruptive
offense are both part of the mission of this list
Freedom of expression is essential to the mission of this list. So is
freedom from unreasonable and disruptive offense. Members of this
community are encouraged to avoid pitting these essential elements of
the exchange against each other.
Individuals who are offended by matters of speech or expression should
consider speaking up promptly and in a civil fashion, and should be
able to ask others to help them in a professional fashion to express
concern. People who learn they have offended others by their manner
of expression should consider immediately stopping the offense and
apologizing.
It is usually easier to deal with issues of free expression and
harassment when members of the community think in terms of interests
rather than rights. It may be "legal" to do many things that are not
in one's interests or in the interests of members of a diverse
community. Most people intuitively recognize that there may be some
difference between their rights and their interests. For example, most
people do not insist on offending others once they have learned that
their behavior is offensive, even in circumstances where they may
have, or think that they have, a legal right to do so. Thus, anyone
dealing with harassment concerns may find it useful to think about the
interests on all sides as well as the rights.
heavily based on "Dealing with Harassment at MIT, Chapter 2: Policies
and Standards," available from
http://web.mit.edu/communications/hg/2.html
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